Unearth - Darkness In The Light

It’s tough to distinguish Unearth’s latest disc of shred-led metalcore from their previous three LPs, for better or for worse. ‘Darkness In The Light’, the quintet’s fifth full-length, still chugs then noodles, with the only evolution being vocalist Trevor Phipps’ single syllable shouts developing into a creamier, flowing scream. However, the latter half of the album’s flirtations with melody and texture provide respite from the ‘core cycle. Though tracks like ‘Overcome’ are stunningly executed, there are few battle-ready ‘Giles’-esque crowd pleasers and, lamentably, fewer thrash-minded flurries. While forward movement isn’t a prerequisite of greatness, Unearth have moved sideways with only partial success.